01- MySQL Introduction

MySQL is an open source database server and is the most popular nowadays. On the other hand, it is paired with PHP scripts to build powerful and dynamic server-side applications.

Take note: Before you begin with this tutorial make sure that you have basic knowledge about PHP and Html tutorial that we have tackled in this site to avoid confusions.

What is a database?

A database is a structure wherein you can store all information that can be easily accessed, manage and update. It is composed of two types: a flat database and a relational database. A flat database is stored on hard drives just like a text file. While A relational database is a structure that recognizes relations among stored items of information. The MySQL is a relational database.

Why do you need to use a database?

When it comes to storing information, databases are most useful. For instance, when you wanted to store information of all the students in a school. With the use of the database, you can group different parts of the student’s information into separate tables to help store your information in a logical way. An example of this tables might be Students, Teacher, and Subject. Each of this table contains columns specific to these three modules. To help store information related to each student, the Students table might have the following columns: Student id, Name, Address, Age, Gender, Subject, nd Teacher.

Aim:

The main focus of this tutorial is on using MySQL in a PHP environment. The purpose of this is to teach those who have web hosts with PHP and MySQL already installed.